(Bad Day, part 1)
It was a fairly simple process. Call in a favor, set up the meeting, and then… success. Basse Croupier owed her a favor or two, so it wasn’t entirely out of the question when she imposed such a small request. How did things go so badly? The tea set, the setting, and a well spoken choice of words. It was fundamentally sound in concept but failed none the less in practice.
Reiraku slowly shuffled down the streets of Babylon and further away from the Giza. The rapid cacophony of sound coming from the fountains behind her slowly faded from her mind as she focused more on the stone bridge that led her away from the gambling heart of the Rogue Isles. Perhaps it was a mistake to invest so much into such a meager gesture, but she couldn’t help it. She had and there was no turning back now. Yet… she hadn’t even tried the tea.
It was that last little detail that seemed to be the most crippling blow of them all. If only one knew how much time she had spent studying the ceremony. Practicing it and rehearsing it until every aspect was as natural to her as breathing. If only one knew that, then maybe they would have considered more of the action in and of itself than anything. It tore at her heartstrings that all of the effort amounted to not more than two untouched cups of cold tea.
“So much left, yet not one friendly drop to help me after.”
Reiraku would have laughed at the irony of the phrase, but it simply was not coming. Instead, the small coil of feeling in her chest tightened ever so slightly. She sighed deeply and stepped off the bridge landing and rounded the corner of another street. It did her no good to stay like this. She needed to blow off some steam lest she wallow too much in her own falling. Lucky for her, fate happened to present her with a perfect opportunity to do so in the form of three Freakshow that chose to do the wrong thing at the wrong time.
“Hey, sweetheart! Any girl leaving the Giza with a face like that can only mean one thing: you ran outta luck! Don’t worry though. We’ll help you get lucky, if ya want.”
Reiraku’s head tilted over at the one speaking. He had an arm replaced with some sort of long hooked blade. The others had these unusual metal hammers for hands. She idly wondered how they went to the bathroom or dressed themselves like that. Her face belied no amusement though as she remained silent while they began to creep over towards her. She slowly rolled her head from one side to the other then popped her knuckles before squaring herself in front of them.
The same freak who had spoken before grinned wildly. “Oh ho! We got ourselves a tough chick. Well, let’s see how tough you really are!” And with that, he charged at her with his bladed arm raised high in the air.
His smile remained until he noticed she seemed to be a lot closer than before. The sound of metal grinding against metal was his only clue to look over just in time to watch his arm get sheared off of his shoulder. Oil and blood leaked out of him in a torrent like manner, causing him to want to scream. At least, he would have, but the red glowing fist buried in his solar plexus robbed him of breath. His body shuttered and pitched forward as he heard the words that came from her lips. Words so dangerously calm and quiet, that one could hardly be sure she spoke them at all.
“Why should true beauty indirectly seek…”
He boggled. What the hell was she talking about? His other arm, still attached, weakly landed on her wrist in an effort to push her away from him, but to no avail. He felt his body lift slightly before her other fist came crashing into his chest, the brisk feel of flight taking him before he slammed into a dumpster and then into blissful unconsciousness.
“…roses of shadow, since his rose is true.”
The closest freak to her began to charge at her with both hammer arms raised. “What the hell do you think you’re doing you crazy bi-GRAWK!”
The hammers raised above his head came down quickly to his throat where she withdrew her hand. A swift thrust had effectively caved in his windpipe like a vacuum tube. She grabbed him around the mouth with her fingers located on either side of his jaw and looked him in the eye. “Don’t interrupt.”
Her stance shifted and she slammed his head into the pavement while maintaining the grip on his face. An audible pop was heard as his jaw dislocated.
“Why should he live, now nature bankrupt is?”
She spun and threw him towards the dumpster. His head clipped the rim and caused him to whirl just above the opening and land next to his companion. She then turned towards the last freak, who stood transfixed on what he had just seen.
“A beggard of blood to blush through lively veins.”
With a small cry of fear, he turned to run from the monster behind him. A coldness gripped him, however, and rooted him in his place. Small lights of purple and gold flowed around him as he felt his body stiffen and get pulled back towards the nightmare. He turned involuntarily to face her and saw her hand outstretched towards him as he floated glacially towards her.
“Oh, him she stores to show what wealth she had…”
Her hands began to glow brighter than before as she stopped just in front of him. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for it to end. A second that felt like an eternity passed before he felt his body drop to the floor and his motor functions regained. He looked up from the ground, expecting his executioner to be there, but there was no one. As he stood, a warm breath hit his neck as he heard that same voice just behind him.
“…in days long since, before these last so bad.”
His body rocked violently as twin points of pressure hit him in the kidneys. He felt his stomach tighten, his body grow colder, and his lungs freeze as the seemed to be filling with something more solid than air. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head, and he fell to the ground in a heap.
Reiraku stopped and took a deep breath. The old sonnets always did make her feel better. Perhaps when she got home, she’d dig out her collection and read them once more. It might have been a bad day, but there would be more. And with more days in the future comes more opportunities for success.
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict
(Bad Day, part 2)
Reiraku’s communicator went off the moment she sat down at her desk. She blanched as she saw who was on the other end. Abyss, a mercenary she sometimes worked for in order to keep a steady income. It paid well enough, but often the jobs were complicated at best.
“What is it? Yes. How many? All four? And the sum? Fine, regular place in an hour.” And with that, Reiraku hung up and sighed heavily. Bad day indeed.
She stood momentarily before promptly sitting back down and drawing out a brush and a long roll of parchment. She ran the brush across the ink stone and then applied it to the paper in long, water-like strokes.
To my dearest heart,
I go now to what may easily be the battle of my life.
Though I’ve defeated each of these opponents before
in the past, never did I have to do so in such rapid
succession. I write to you now in order to apologize for
my past behavior. It was not just of me to burden you so.
Should I return in sound health, I would ask you to tea again.
This time when we are at better convenience to enjoy one
another’s company. I give you my solemn vow that I shall
maintain a more pleasant atmosphere than before. Time
for me to go. My thoughts are with you, always.
Reiraku.
She let the letter sit for a moment to dry the ink, then rolled it tightly and tied a purple ribbon around it. She took a small circular tube and held it over a candle for a minute, then pressed one end of the tube against the ribbon, sealing it with a wax image of a dragon. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she closed her eyes and spoke more from her mind than with her voice, “Widow, I have need of your services.”
Not two seconds later, a cool rush of wind started behind her. She turned to see a night widow kneeling behind her. A “gift” Ghost Widow called her, for her defeat of Lord Recluse and preventing a possibly disastrous future. The widow was an accomplished fighter, but Reiraku never used her in missions. Her primary role was something like a secretary. She managed her accounts and ran errands for her, when necessary that is. “Yes, mistress?”
Reiraku handed her the scroll. “I need you to deliver this for me. I trust you understand where it is going.”
The widow nodded once and then left as swiftly and silently as she came. Reiraku had no doubts about the letter’s arrival. She just hoped she would be around for the reply if it ever came. No use worrying about it now, for there was work to be done. She tightened her tie, adjusted her eye patch, and left the compound.
When she arrived, the transport was already waiting for her. She stepped inside and took the envelope that was presented to her. Within, an identification card and a small chip that was about as big as a penny sat loosely. She looked at the pilot quizzically in anticipation for an explanation of the chip’s purpose.
“That right there is a visual reverb chip. When you enter a room, all surveillance cameras in that room will continuously recycle the last image they captured just before you entered. It isn’t perfect, but it should keep them off of your backs for a while. Now guard duty is light right now, so you shouldn’t have much resistance while you do what you do.”
Reiraku looked the chip over before placing it in her jacket pocket. Within minutes, they arrived. She looked at the front entryway of the base. No guards to speak of, just a couple of automated turrets and a very thick front door to deter trespassers. She walked up to the door and swiped the card. A chime sounded and the doors slid open effortlessly. With a casual stride, Reiraku walked into the entry way and down the elevator that led into the base.
As the elevator stopped, Reiraku pressed herself against the panel next to the door. She peered out cautiously as the doors opened before darting out into the hallway. Her information was correct, guards were rather scarce around the base at this time. She had no problem avoiding the regular patrols and otherwise eluding detection as she went through the vast corridors.
She came to a stop in front of a pair of curved, steel doors. Another swipe of the card and they slid open to reveal another pair of doors much like them in form, but curved the opposite direction. As she reached to open them as well, an audible chime sounded before they slid open to show Mynx on the other side. The two showed mirrored expressions of surprise before Mynx looked at Reiraku curiously and said, “Hey, you look familiar. Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
It took every ounce of willpower to keep Reiraku from falling over. She gave Mynx a dubious look while the clawed girl worked it over in her head. Finally, with a snap of her fingers, Mynx pointed at her and exclaimed, “Wait! You’re that girl that kidnapped me!”
Reiraku groaned and crossed her arms. With a tone similar to one you would use explaining to a three year old why water was wet, she said, “No, I merely beat you in a fight. Crey kidnapped you.”
“But, you changed my medical teleporter on me! So it’s all your fault!”
“Well, if you’d have just surrendered from the start, we could have skipped all that, couldn’t we?”
Mynx sneered and extended her claws. “We’ll see about that!” she roared as she lunged forward.
Reiraku narrowly avoided her attack as she twisted and grabbed Mynx’s wrist. Mynx corrected her lunge and turned to swipe and Reiraku as she was tossed towards a wall. Reiraku suffered a nasty cut on her arm as she put some distance between the two of them, and Mynx hit the wall back first with an audible thump. They warily circled each other before Mynx started another charge that Reiraku was only too happy to meet.
A clawed punch was deftly parried and countered with a chi powered palm thrust to the shoulder. Mynx twisted and swiped at Reiraku’s stomach only to ruin a perfectly good shirt, but otherwise cause no damage. A swift kick found its mark in Mynx’s chest and gave Reiraku a cut along her thigh for her troubles. The two paused at opposite ends of the corridor briefly before Mynx growled viciously.
“That’s it. You’re going down!” Mynx cried with a backwards flip. She pushed off of the wall behind her and launched herself at Reiraku with blinding speed.
Reiraku smiled and placed a hand behind her back. As Mynx approached, Reiraku threw a small capsule forward that burst into a small cloud of powdered glass and metal shavings. The cloud met Mynx’s lunge head on, causing her to cry out in pain and cross her arms over her eyes to try and avoid any further damage. Reiraku sidestepped and grabbed Mynx by the back of the head, using her momentum to smash the clawed girl’s head into the wall and render her unconscious.
Picking up her still form, Reiraku found the nearest utility closet and stuffed her inside. She would be out long enough for Reiraku to finish her task. Let’s see, tore up clothes, minor wounds, and still three more targets to take out. Great. With a small grumble, she started back down the hallway and on to her next task.
A few hallways away, a large room containing a solitary figure waited, as Reiraku walked in cautiously. Luminary stood in the center, apparently waiting for her arrival. “Well, this is a surprise. I expected you to have at least a few extra troops for backup,” Reiraku said as she slowly closed the distance between them.
“Make no mistake, Valkyrie is on her way. Others would be an encumbrance in our encounter. I should have you subdued by the time she arrives. Now surrender.”
Reiraku scoffed. “I don’t think so. I will simply have to turn you into scrap as I did last time.”
Luminary braced herself as she pointed a metal hand at her attacker. A burst of energy shot forth as Reiraku darted from side to side, narrowly avoiding each shot. Reiraku flipped to Luminary’s side and launched a chi power punch towards the artificial creature’s head. Unfortunately, a wave of energy came from Luminary and launched her back a sizable amount where she slid on the floor before coming to a slow stop.
“I told you that you have no chance. My output capacity has increased greatly since our last encounter. I can expel energy in any and all directions. You simply have no chance to defeat me. Give up now.”
An expression of mild irritation came across Reiraku’s face. “If I gave up so easily, then I never would have made it this far in the first place.”
“I suppose so. Still, with your wounds, you will fall at this rate,” Luminary said with a hollowed metallic sigh and pointed another energy-powered hand at the offending girl.
Reiraku leapt high over the blast and towards Luminary with both fists glowing brightly with chi. Luminary made no move to dodge, however, as she spread her arms wide and released a huge bubble of energy. Reiraku swore silently and crossed her arms over her chest as she was blasted backwards. She slammed into the opposing wall heavily and landed on the floor in a low crouch. She got up slowly and paced back into the room as she eyed Luminary, whom seemed rather pleased.
“Time’s up. The moment of your apprehension is at hand.”
A resounding sound of steps against the metal walkway was Reiraku’s only hint as to who was behind her. She dove to the side as a large, metal lance struck where she had just been standing where it exploded with a shower of sparks. In the doorway stood Valkyrie, looking as stern as ever. Another spear materialized in her hand as she leveled it towards Reiraku.
The next few moments consisted of Reiraku dodging and diving as she avoided both blasts of energy and what seemed to be an endless supply of exploding lances. Racking her brain to figure out a solution to her current problem. One idea came to mind, but it would be a wee bit painful and moderately risky. She slowed down slightly as a lance hit just beside her and, of course, exploded. She rolled with the blast out of the plume of smoke and started to get up unsteadily.
Valkyrie didn’t miss a beat as she hurled another lance at her foe with confidence that it would hit square on. Her expression changed drastically as Reiraku ducked, causing the lance to miss entirely and instead plant itself deep within the chest of Luminary. It exploded with a flash of sparks and energy as gold plated pieces flew all about the room. Valkyrie stood transfixed in shock as she said quietly, “Oh ****. Citadel is going to kill me.”
Reiraku dusted herself off and strolled to the center of the room as she centered herself across from Valkyrie. “You know, that was always her problem. She had extraordinary firepower but very poor footwork.”
A low growl emanated from Valkyrie’s lips. Slowly, she started walking towards the middle of the room as she readied her sword. “You shall pay for that transgression, villain. I shall bring you to justice here and now.”
“And I shall defeat you again,” Reiraku said as she assumed a ready position in anticipation of the first attack.
Valkyrie charged with two crossing slashes of her sword. “You had help last time. I don’t see that dainty faced trollop with you this time. What happened? Didn’t have enough money to keep her?”
She was stopped in the middle of her next slash by a massive palm thrust to her chest which pushed her back as far as the door way. She sagged to one knee as she stared at Reiraku in astonishment. She had never even seen the attack coming. As she was catching her breath, she looked on as Reiraku brought her hand up to her eye patch and pulled it off in a swift motion. The small mask that covered her mouth and nose soon followed as she leveled her gaze at Valkyrie with an expression of cold outrage.
“You… you who would insult the light of my soul. You who are not worthy to speak her name. You have made the last mistake of your life. Now rise! Rise and be defeated by the dragon of Nieucheizu! For my honor and the honor of my dearest heart, I challenge you!”
The glow that normally surrounded Reiraku’s fists intensified ten fold as Valkyrie rose unsteadily to her feet. The grim determination that normally adorned Valkyrie’s features was replaced by mild anxiety as she started towards the smaller girl with her sword at the ready. Her tentative swing missed its mark as Reiraku leapt above the blade and planted her knee firmly in the face of Valkyrie. Two more slashes met with similar results before she finally got a glancing cut on Reiraku’s arm. This cost her a vicious blow to her knee which dropped her down before the smaller girl.
“Now you understand the difference between us,” Reiraku said coldly before driving her palm into the side of Valkyrie’s head and driving her into the ground.
As Reiraku began to walk away, she heard the shuffling of metal behind her. She turned to see Valkyrie rising up from the floor shakily. Her breathing was ragged and her eyes dazed as she started towards Reiraku with her sword dragging behind her. “I… fight… on!”
The sword strikes came again and again, and though they had more force, they were wild and unfocused. A chi powered fist struck home in Valkyrie’s ribs, causing the taller woman to stagger back before charging again. She raised her sword high above her head and came down heavily with it. The attack was easily avoided as Reiraku circled behind her and lashed out with a brightly glowing fist that hit just behind the ear. Valkyrie lurched forward as she lost the grip on her sword and clutched her head in a daze. She took a few disoriented steps trying to regain her senses as Reiraku leapt high into the air with both fists raised above her.
“Now fall!” Reiraku screamed as she came down with both fists on either side of Valkyrie’s neck, causing the other woman to be imprinted, back first, a half an inch into the floor.
Reiraku leaned forward and placed her foot on the neck of Valkyrie. As she put some pressure into her leg, she looked down at the defeated woman’s bulging eyes. “I would kill you here and now, but that would be a waste of death. Instead, live with the shame of defeat you low born gutter snipe.”
She struck down swiftly, bringing Valkyrie to unconsciousness before walking out of the room a bit shakily. Valkyrie had gotten to her and she lost her temper. That caused her to put too much into that fight. A waste of energy in the grand scheme of things. There was still one opponent left. One who had fought her almost to a draw under much better conditions. Reiraku’s expression darkened as she made her way down the long hall and into the large, circular room where her final opponent wait. As she entered, Ms. Liberty looked her over and shook her head sadly.
Reiraku’s outfit had seen better days. It was torn, burnt, smoking, and had a few blood stains on it. Ms. Liberty crossed her arms over her chest and said in a somewhat sympathetic tone, “Bad day?”
Reiraku just looked at her with half lidded eyes and deadpanned, “Bad day.”
Ms. Liberty just nodded and pushed a button on a console, causing the doors behind her to shut quickly. Reiraku looked around briefly before settling her eyes on Ms. Liberty who said, “Just you and me. One on One”
The two faced one another and assumed a ready position simultaneously. A few moments of silence passed before Ms. Liberty made the first move. She jumped at her opponent with a powerful kick that Reiraku was barely able to avoid. The next few attacks made by Ms. Liberty also went barely avoided but with no chance to counter attack. Finally, a low sweep caused Reiraku to jump to avoid it, which left the opening Ms. Liberty needed. She quickly thrust a lightning powered fist into Reiraku’s stomach. The resulting burst of electricity shot her backwards where she flipped in the air and landed in a low crouch.
Not wanting to waste the advantage, Ms. Liberty shot forward. The electricity crackled from her fists as she attempted another low strike against the other girl. Reiraku sprang up above the attack and landed behind her before thrusting backwards with an elbow that caught Ms. Liberty right between the shoulder blades. Ms. Liberty stumbled forward into a wall then threw a backfist, which was narrowly avoided. Reiraku took a quick strike at her exposed ribs before backing off a good distance.
Ms. Liberty rubbed her side as the two paused to catch their breath. A faint flicker of worry came across her face as she looked at Reiraku. “You’re still as fast as ever… maybe faster.”
Reiraku nodded in appreciation. “Well, you still hit like a bus. A big bus. Still, I have something of a schedule to keep, so you will excuse me if I keep the banter to a minimum.”
A small shrug came as her reply as Reiraku’s hands began their bright glow. Ms. Liberty took a few steps away from the wall before she raised her hands in anticipation of the next attack. As though moved by some unseen signal, the two charged at each other. Punches were dodged, kicks were blocked, and every counter missed its mark. Finally, Ms. Liberty saw an opening in Reiraku’s midsection. She lunged deep with a punch only to have her wrist grabbed as Reiraku used it to pull her into a knee right between her eyes. The blow stunned her and gave Reiraku the opportunity to get in three very strong shots to her stomach.
A swift kick launched Ms. Liberty back while Reiraku dashed to follow up on the offense. Ms. Liberty rolled back and pushed off of the ground to ram her shoulder into Reiraku’s stomach. Reiraku returned the assault with a hammer blow to her back. The two separated from a sprawl and rose to their feet with no small amount of shakiness. Both were breathing heavily and the glow around Reiraku’s fists continuously faded in and out. Their gazes locked in twin masks of feral determination as they renewed their attack on one another.
Reiraku pushed herself harder and harder as she continued to rain blows on the other woman. Every attack that connected seemed to have little or no effect as every attack made against Reiraku missed by mere millimeters. They were at the apex of their abilities. One warrior unable to be hit, the other unable to be hurt. With a mighty cry, Ms. Liberty leapt high into the air with her fists blazing with electricity. Reiraku mirrored her cry and lashed out with a flaring palm that connected with Ms. Liberty’s fists just an inch away from her skull. The resulting blast caused Ms. Liberty to fly back into the far wall while Reiraku simply slumped to the floor as the glow around her disappeared completely.
After what seemed like an eternity of seconds, Reiraku slowly stumbled in a half crawl, half walk towards Ms. Liberty. In a display of supreme effort, she turned the other woman over to find her thankfully unconscious. She sagged against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. She slid her hand down to her communicator and pushed a small button, waited for a small beep, then said in a thick voice, “Mission accomplished.”
Her eyes remained skyward as she let out in a small whisper, “Sorry, I don’t think I will be able to make it to tea.”
The last sound she heard as she closed her eyes was a door opening and rapid footsteps heading towards her.
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict
(Bad Day, part 3)
It had been one month since Reiraku had invaded the Vindicators’ base. The details of her escape varied depending on who you asked. To hear Reiraku tell it, she made a daring escape with the assistance of Widow. To hear Widow tell it, she dragged an unconscious Reiraku from the base like a sack of mulch. To hear them both tell the story is… well, that’s something to see.
In the one month span, Reiraku had done much. She had courted, proposed, was promptly rejected, and subsequently despaired. It was a sad time for her. She had gone from the pinnacle of her greatest victory to her most crushing defeat in less than a season. Suffice to say, she was depressed.
Now depression can take many forms. Some people eat, some cry, and some write trashy emo poems that later turn into bad alternative rock lyrics. Reiraku did none of these. She just drank tea in a nice, quiet place. This would explain why she was in a small jazz café located inside of the Golden Giza. A light trio was just finishing setting up their equipment when a familiar face leaned over check in on one of his better customers.
“You look down, little lady. Anything a cup of tea and a song might help?”
Reiraku looked up from her hands to the sympathetic smile of Basse Croupier. Of course he would offer a cup of tea. She always had one when she came here. The song was a bit trickier though. Sometimes she requested a French ballad. Other times she would request a lament by Lady Day. Today she had a special request in mind.
“Yeah… green tea, hot, with just a bit of honey. And think you could sing something for me? I’d really like to hear ‘Ue O Muite Arukoo’ if you could,” she said with a voice that held firm despite the feeling beneath it.
Basse gave her an odd look before shaking his head. “Man, most people don’t call it that, or even know that title. I guess that means you want it original style, eh? No problem! Let me and the boys take care of that for you. You just relax and take a load off.”
As he went off to bring the band together, the waitress arrived with Reiraku’s cup of tea. She blew on it for a moment before taking a tentative sip. Her eyes went to the stage as the band played a few warm up notes, then began in full swing. The melody was light, jumpy, and otherwise very upbeat. A pleasant sounding song much like the sun on a spring day, and Basse’s voice matched the atmosphere perfectly.
Ue o muite arukoo,
Namida ga kobore nai yoo ni,
Omoidasu haru no hi,
Hitoribotchi no yoru…
Reiraku kept sipping at her cup of tea. The irony of her order not lost on her as she stirred it once more to keep the honey from settling. For some reason, even the sweetest honey could taste bitter when one felt like this.
Ue o muite arukoo
Nijinda hoshi o kazoete
Omoidasu natsu no hi
Hitoribotchi no yoru
It was starting to cool now. The tea, that is. The honey became thicker, more solid, and ultimately, harder to stir. She supposed there was a metaphor in there somewhere, but somehow, she wasn’t in the mood for metaphors.
Shiawase wa kumo no ue ni
Shiawase wa sora no ue ni
Ue o muite arukoo
Namida ga kobore nai yoo ni
Nakinagara aruku
Hitoribotchi no yoru
Basse began the whistling intermezzio as Reiraku drank her tea a bit faster. The cup was mostly empty, save for a few sips at the bottom. When she was done, she wouldn’t feel sorry for herself anymore. At least, that’s what she swore. It was a bitter, biting pain, but it was still only pain and she would become stronger from it.
Omoidasu aki no hi
Hitoribotchi no yoru
Kanashimi wa hoshi no kage ni
Kanashimi wa tsuki no kage ni
A few more sips finished off the cup. At the bottom, a small drop of honey stubbornly remained. She tipped her cup around a bit and watched the drop shift, but never truly move from its spot.
Ue o muite arukoo
Namida ga kobore nai yoo ni
Nakinagara aruku
Hitoribotchi no yoru
More whistling rang out as the song began its outro. Reiraku placed a couple of bills on the table before standing up and waving at Basse. He returned the wave while continuing his whistling melody just as Reiraku was leaving. Once outside, Reiraku looked up at the sky. The clouds looked ominous, as always, but showed no threat of rain. She inwardly sighed and pulled her eye-patch and mask from her pocket. After she securely fastened them in place, she turned towards the direction of her apartment and left with a half-hearted leap.
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict
(Going Home)
Change. People change. Countries change. The Earth itself changes. The only thing that didn’t ever change was Nieucheizu. It was a land that seemed to step out of time. It was a small bit of stability in my life that was very much needed right now. It was the main reason I was on a plane back to China.
A year ago, I would have vehemently denied ever going back home like this. Now, well… I’m not so sure. Of course I missed home. After the better part of a decade, who wouldn’t? That wasn’t the problem though. The problem was the nature of my return. I was going back alone, and I swore to myself that I wouldn’t do that.
To hell with pride. Other things take priority.
An hour before the plane landed, I went to the restroom and changed into more appropriate clothing. Sure, people in Nieucheizu were accustomed to the styles of the “outside,” but only for outsiders. I could only help but smile at the thought of some of the looks I would get as I finished fastening the last toggle on my shirt.
After a few hours worth of hiking and a quick stop to get something to eat, I was home. Just as it had been seven years before, when I had left, Nieucheizu was still the same. The valley that the village sat in was deep and secluded. The rivers still wound around the outer walls like a protective blanket laid by the gods themselves. The fields were still vast and green with the coming spring season.
I hefted my bag over my shoulder and began to walk down the path leading to the front gates. During this time of day, the gates were always open with two guards posted to allow the easy transport of trade goods to the outside. Right now, the path was clear, and the two young warriors sitting as guards looked as bored as one could be.
They couldn’t have been more that fourteen years each. Most likely they were misbehaving in class and got punished with guard duty as a result. I was about 20 feet away from entering when the two realized I was there and snapped to a defensive position.
“Who would try to enter the sacred land of Nieucheizu? Identify yourself immediately!” one barked at me.
Well, that was hardly proper form at all. Perhaps it was time to teach this little whelp some manners. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and stated rather challengingly, “I’m going in there, and you’re not going to stop me.”
The girl looked like someone slapped her. The one who remained silent shifted the grip on her spear as though she were expecting an attack at any moment. Smart girl. The more vocal girl, however, just growled and threw herself into the attack. Yup, definitely a discipline case stuck with guard duty. She thrust her spear forward in a sloppy charge. Well, I suppose the lessons must be taught.
I side-stepped lazily and grabbed the spear just behind its head. A quick twist of the wrist and it snapped off like a dried chicken bone. The young woman seemed stunned as I dropped the spear tip to the ground and gave her a bored look. She quickly shifted her grip and tried a backhand swing with what was left of her spear. I merely blocked it with my forearm without moving an inch.
I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was getting desperate. How could this outsider defeat a trained warrior from Nieucheizu? I decided to answer her unasked question. “Don’t feel bad for losing. I’ve had more time to become stronger, faster, and far more skilled. Keep training and someday you may become as strong as I am.”
Maybe it was the tone I used, or the expression on my face. Whatever it was, the young woman stood ramrod straight and bowed deeply. I returned it with a modest nod of my head and continued onward past the other guard who stood transfixed.
It felt like I had never left. The afternoon classes were being taught, and although the students were new, the class was the same as it was seven years ago. I recognized a number of faces as I made my way through while taking care not to draw too much attention to myself. It was a habit I had gotten during the past year or so. I’d much rather have gotten to my destination first before causing any sort of commotion. Of course, it was that exact moment a voice yelled out over all the noise of the surrounding activities.
“KOH YONG HA!”
I froze. The voice carried a clear tone of challenge as it called out the name. My name, a name I hadn’t heard for years since I earned the alias “Reiraku.” My eyes scaled up to the top of the council hall steps to confirm whom I already knew to be the source of the voice. As my eyes met hers, I instinctively swallowed.
It wasn’t that she was that fearsome in her details. Her hair, purple like mine but so much longer, hung down to her waist. She was a good six inches taller than me, and easily forty pounds heavier of nearly all muscle. Her form was lean, trimmed, and about as perfectly shaped as one could get without surgery. It was her eyes. Those golden orbs that could look right through you and break you down in seconds, eyes that knew more than you and showed it. They held the look of a woman who could kill easily when the situation required it and not lose a moment of sleep.
The challenge went unspoken save for the name. I couldn’t refuse it. She wouldn’t let me. It was a test I knew I would face upon coming back, and I knew as well that failure meant death. She started to advance upon me in slow, leisured steps as I tossed my bag to the side and assumed a ready stance. My heart raced, and my breathing hastened ever so slightly as I looked for a hole in her seemingly non-stance. Everything in how she carried herself told me it wouldn’t be there.
I’m good. One of the best in the world, actually. It’s a claim made with no false ego. I’ve tested, trained, and honed myself to be that way. But this woman in front of me, she is easily the most dangerous woman in the world.
And then she attacked me.
I wasn’t ready for this. Sure, I knew it was coming, but there simply was no way to be ready for what came at me. A fight in Nieucheizu is unlike any other in the world. You must prepare the best you can and pray that your opponent doesn’t have more tricks up their sleeve.
Unfortunately for me, my opponent had a few more years gathering those tricks and perfecting them than I did.
There it is, a low jab as fast as lightning. It was a classic maneuvering attack. I was able to parry it, but at the cost of lowering my right arm. When the offending punch didn’t retract, I knew I was in trouble. Her hand snapped open and grabbed my wrist like a snake’s bite. With a vicious pull, I was jerked off balance. A swift forearm barred across my throat, and the hand at my wrist released to wind up for a palm thrust at my stomach. The result was less than pleasant.
I did my best to roll away after the strike, and with a medium of success. I righted myself in a hurry and resumed my stance. My opponent merely stood in self-satisfaction at her opening assault. I narrowed my eyes and charged forward, a strike aimed at her side just as she had done towards mine.
The disappointment in her eyes was almost audible. She had ducked low and grabbed my offending arm in an attempt to fling me over her shoulder. I wish I could have seen her disappointment change into surprise when it grabbed her wrist with my other hand and vaulted over her. The resulting force pulled her off balance and right where I wanted her.
At this point, she had two options. Either she let go of my wrist, or have her arm wrenched out of the socket. Her fingers released just as my feet hit the ground. I wasted no time in dropping down and kicking out one of her legs from under her. Like clockwork, my fist shot up on its own to connect with the small of her back. I rose up and rammed my shoulder into her spine as hard as I could. Not as a means of damage, but as a way to push her away from me.
She didn’t even stumble as she regained her footing. This time, it was my turn to have the expression of self-satisfaction. She smiled grimly at me and clenched both of her fists tight. A deep royal-purple glow started to flow off of them like waves on a beach. I groaned on the inside and brought my hands up. A lighter, more magenta shade of purple flared out from them much like a starburst. Why did I have to antagonize this one?
There was no time wasted in her charge. Even worse than her speed was the fact that she appeared to shift over inches at a time instantly. It might not seem like much, but even a few millimeters can mean the difference between life and death in a fight like this. The punch that she threw at me was clear evidence of that fact.
It appeared to be heading towards the center of my stomach. Of course, that wasn’t where it was really headed, but from that point I knew what possible targets existed. I brought my hand down to my solar plexus just in time to catch the attack before it landed. A quick kick of my legs ensured that the force of the blow didn’t break my hands. I quickly reset myself and thrust low towards her knees with a blazing palm. It might not have the advantage of misdirection, but it more than made up for that with speed and power.
The margin of success I had with the attack was quickly crushed by a fist driving itself into the back of my shoulder. I bit down and pushed through the pain. My legs burned at the force I used to propel myself into the attack. Two more palm thrusts, just as fast as the first, found their marks in the stomach of my opponent. Another assault was cut short by the knee that planted itself in my midsection, winding me.
My ears rang as two more punches hit me, one on the side of my head and the other straight into my chest. A slight taste, not unlike warmed copper, was present in my mouth as I flew through the air. Hitting the ground didn’t hurt as much as one would expect, not when their chest feels like it’s on fire. I shakily stood up and coughed out my lung’s complaints as I nearly fell again.
Through my blurred vision, I watched my opponent set herself again. This would be it. Every thought, every feeling, and every instinct in that Nieucheizu warrior would be in this next attack, and I was all but helpless to defend myself.
She launched forward again, this time twice as fast as she ever had. My arms barely rose in a vain attempt of defense, but could go no higher than my waist. She was just before me now, both arms wide as they closed in on me. In a last bid of defiance, I tried to throw myself into an attack, but merely pitched forward as I could feel my eyes close.
My head hit her chest with a dull thud, and I felt her arms wrap around me, one around my back and the other a bit higher with her hand cradling the back of my head. The sound of choked sobs was as clear as the feeling of the tears that fell on top of my hair. In a hushed, almost whisper-like tone she said to me, “Oh, Koh. I’ve missed you so much.”
I kept my eyes closed. I didn’t need to see the tears I could feel falling from them as I lifted my weak arms to rest around her waist.
“I know. I missed you too, mom.”
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict
(Finally, a story NOT about Reiraku. The Shooting Star)
When traveling in Founder’s Falls, one often looks down at the canals that run through the streets or around ground level for fear of any nearby evil doers. The few that did look up on this particularly temperate morning might have caught a glimpse of a series of sparks that seemed to bounce back and forth between the high-rises as they made their way to the outlying caves near the edge of town. Even fewer were concerned about this. So long as it wasn’t the E.T. look-a-likes armed with plasma rifles sitting on the corner near their grocery store, they couldn’t care less. The stream of sparks ended in front of a large outcropping of rocks that sat on the hillside. A small bend of light seemed to hover before it before one of the rocks slid open and the blur disappeared inside.
Deep within the cave, Terramis was having a good day. He deciphered an ancient ritual that would allow him to summon a demon of supposedly incomparable strength, gathered all the components for the ritual, and avoided any hero interference all the while. He had guards posted all along the caverns, and his best minions at the ready to perform the chant while he mixed the components as was required. Failure wasn’t an option this time.
The ritual, though simple in execution, still took a moderate amount of time to perform. One had to read a verse, drop an exact amount of a certain component into a circle, then read another verse and repeat. Each component would show a sign when activated, so it came to very little surprise when an unusually loud explosion rocked the caves as the first part was completed. Terramis could have sworn it came from outside of the summoning, but with the way these caves echo, who could tell? He instructed for them to continue.
Now the second explosion that rang through the caves a minute later came to a great deal of surprise to Terramis. After all, it definitely sounded closer than the first, and they hadn’t finished the second part yet. A third came a moment later, this time quite clearly from the cavern right outside of their own. Well, if some meddler thinks they can defeat Terramis, high mage of the Circle of Thorns so easily, they had another thing coming. Blades were drawn, and the room stood ready to repel any invaders who would dare come this way.
Silence stood thick in the air for a moment before a faint chime faded into being. It grew louder into a recognizable synthetic bell-like sound of a very familiar melody. It kept on heading towards them as one of the minions in the cave began to sing faintly to the tune. “… can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow…?” He was silenced by a strict glare from Terramis a second later.
The sound persisted for a few more seconds from within the cave when Terramis lost his patience and yelled for the interloper to show themselves. A small click was heard and the music ceased as a young woman’s voice piped out in a sing song tone.
“All right. You asked for it.”
Terramis was shoved roughly from behind, causing him to stumble forward. He whirled around only to find no one there. One of his minions cried out as several large pieces of ice bombarded him from above. The other three fired their small side crossbows at the near-invisible blur of light that zipped around the room.
“I am…”
A wide beam encased another mage in a block of ice as they tried to get a bead on their target’s location.
“… always sweet,”
More ice shot out from several other locations in a rapid fire pattern that knocked the blades and bows out of the remainder’s hands.
“… never beat,”
A split second later, a thick, brown substance wrapped around two of the mages and pinned them to the wall. Terramis noted the particularly sweet smell as caramel. A super strength caramel.
“… nation’s number one treat!”
The blur resolved itself just above the previously bombarded mage as a young woman no older than twenty. She was adorned in a tight-fitting suit covered in a blue and white pattern not unlike clouds in the sky. She landed on his back feet first, rendering him unconscious before striking a heroic pose.
“I am Sky-One!”
Terramis seethed. He had been so close, and this woman just ruined it all. Did she really think he’d let her live after all that? “You crashed my ceremony, assaulted my guards, and ruined all my plans. Do you really think I’ll let you live after all that?” he yelled, thus confirming the narration up to this point.
Sky-One smirked and held up a small device with a little red button on it. “Well, yeah. I mean, you’re the dork with the three megaton “kick me” sign on your back.”
The mage’s head whipped around to look at the back of his robes. A dark, round object was latched onto his back marked with the colorful words “Bom-Bom Bomb.” He froze as the realization of the situation dawned on him. She plunged the button down, causing him to be launched forward from the blast. His vision swam as he hit the wall before collapsing to the ground. Just before he blacked out, he could hear her say, “Nothing but sprinkles, baby!”
Terramis awoke inside the cave covered up to his neck in ice. Everyone else was gone. Well, almost everyone. That Sky-One person was still here, sitting on a rock just opposite of him. She hopped up and began to walk towards him with a menacing grin. “All your buddies are gone to the Zig. I kept you around because I need to know something, and you’re going to tell me. Got it?”
He grit is teeth in defiance. No way this slip of a girl was going to interrogate him. He growled out in a dangerously low tone, “I’ll tell you nothing.”
A smug smirk crossed Sky-One’s features as she began to stalk towards him. With all the confidence in the world she said, “Oh, you’ll talk. I’ll make you talk.”
Twenty minutes later, Terramis looked awful. His breathing was ragged and shallow, his eyes were sunken in and bloodshot, and small beads of sweat ran down his brow even though he was nearly completely encased in ice. He couldn’t take much more of this. He had to escape by any means. There! There lay a pointed rock. If he could just shake his cold prison enough, maybe he could fall on it hard enough to pierce his brain. Even death was preferable to what he was enduring.
“So yeah, I’m not sure if she likes me or if she LIKES me likes me, you know? I mean, we totally go on dates all the time and order pizza and stuff like that, but I’ve never really had a real solid relationship before. How do you tell when it’s the real deal? So anyways, Maylin is like, way cute and a way awesome dresser. I was thinking about taking her out to a movie later on this week. Maybe something funny, like that Reno movie or something. I know it’s kind of dumb, but I think it could be good. Also, because I REALLY like comedies. Think she’ll like it? I think she’ll like it.”
Never before in his life did Terramis cry. If you ever asked him from this point on, he’d probably try to kill you on the spot. But, at this exact moment, he began to break down in the sobs of a broken man. “I’ll talk! I’ll talk. Just… no more. I can’t take any more of your incessant prattling.”
Sky-One brightened up, clearly unconcerned with the “prattling” comment he made towards her. “Now we’re getting somewhere! I want you to tell me exactly what you did to my buddy, Schwarze Flamme.”
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict
Due to not quite popular demand, but demand enough for me, I've decided to repost a bunch of older stories I wrote some time ago. Many of these are older works, and in a number of cases, incomplete as a whole. Still, they might provide an interesting read if you have the time. Feedback and praise are always welcome. Criticism as well, though may not really be necessary since I haven't really written or revised any of these in a long time and may not do so in the future. Without further ado...
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(Dreams)
Mama? Whats a dream?
It always starts off the same way. You find yourself somewhere, you do something odd, and then you wake up. So why do we have such a fascination with them? I suppose you could trace mine back to when I was a child. I could hear the kids talk about how they were flying or running through the jungles of Africa. I thought they were full of nonsense. After all, how can you believe in something you never have experienced? Being skeptical was one of my most prominent childhood traits. Not being able to dream was another.
At the ripe, old age of five, I learned what the word dream was. Needless to say, I was shocked. All these kids were having all this fun while I just slept. It wasnt fair. So I took it upon myself to find out exactly what a dream was so I could have them too. And where does anyone go when they want to know everything in the world? Of course, mom.
Inside the house, my mother was the kindliest woman in the world. She always had tea and cookies ready for company and a smile that made the coldest winter day feel like summer. Outside the home, she was easily the most brutal trainer a girl could have. Cold, merciless, and quick with criticism that you could not argue with. She was one of the best in the village, and everyone knew it. Of all the lessons I learned from her, this one stood out to me the most.
She said a dream is a gateway to the future. Dreams can teach us things to better ourselves, show us which path to take, or prepare us for troubles ahead. They hold our aspirations and our failings in a tiny egg that we must hatch. Always heed your dreams, for to ignore them is the sign of a fool.
I nodded in understanding, but when I asked her why I never had dreams, I found it very confusing when she just laughed. Silly child, she said to me. You are already as good as you can be for now. You know your path, and you are preparing for your future properly. You will be the best. Dreams have nothing more to teach you because you have learned all of their lessons already.
This did very little to satisfy my curiosity. Still, with a task master like my mother around, I had little time to ponder the simpler things in life. She was right as always, I would be the best, because she would not accept anything else. Perhaps it was my question, or my seemingly increased inward focus that prompted the increase in my training regime. Whatever it was, it made my life exponentially difficult for the next seven years. In that time I became stronger, sharper, and better able to focus my spirit towards any undertaking.
At the age of twelve, I was a top student and easily the better of anyone in my age group. I had to constantly choose sparring partners a good number of years older than me just for practice. Even then, they were hard pressed to beat me. I had a couple of years before I could enter the villages annual tournament, but I would spend those years hunting in the surrounding forest and sharpening the tools my mother gave me. Imagine the gate guards surprise when they saw a tiger coming towards them only to realize that it was both dead and being carried by a small, purple haired girl. I had a very impressive trophy room by my fourteenth year.
Once I turned sixteen, I could enter our annual tournament. The big time. The best of the best. Every eye on the village was on you if you won, and eternal fame and glory were yours for the taking. The air was buzzing with talk of previous champions and rivalries, but mostly about the new entries that would cause the most impact this year. I believe more than a few times my name was mentioned, and I even heard a few jokes about the possibility of adding a few new trophies to my collection.
At last it was the day before the tournament. Most traders kept their shops closed. Instead, they chose to focus on any needs any family members that were participating in the tournament had. If you went outside, you would see a handful of people at the most. It felt like a ghost town. To me, it felt like peace. While everyone else was anxious, I was at my most calm. I had nothing to fear because I was the best. I wouldnt accept anything less. With the world around me so peaceful, I found sleep rather easily. So when I found myself standing on top of a tall and barren mesa, I was slightly surprised.
Everything felt different around me. No wind, no scent, and I could nary feel anything. I looked down the edge of the mesa and gasped at the scene before me. Below was every participant in the tournament. Whether they were dead or simply unconscious I shall never know, but I do know that they were not moving and I was. Above all else though, I felt triumphant. They were beneath me, and I had prevailed over their weakness. My lips peeled open in a howling laugh as I was unable to contain my joy. The pathway of the future indeed was bright.
The tournament came, and the preliminary matches were a joke. Three girls, three hits. All were defeated. Only another three to go, and from the looks of things, these would be no trouble at all. First was a girl from my class. A talented fighter in her own right, but clearly outmatched. She held her ground well enough, I suppose. She even got up after the third hit. That took guts. Maybe not brains, but definitely guts. Another hit ensured that she would not get back up again that day.
Ahhh, now was time for the semi-finals. To be honest, this was the most anticipated match of the day. My opponent was a fan-favorite and thought to even be a possible next champion. Of course, that would take the unlikely event that I would lose, but really, can you blame them for their hope?
We squared off against each other. She was playing it cautious, with due cause. We had never fought directly before, but were both well aware of what the other could do. I was faster, most likely stronger, and knew a variety of things she didnt, but the difference wasnt that great. The deadlock was broken when she surged forward with a quick jab followed by a low sweep. I deftly brushed aside her hand and vaulted over her head. Like lightning, she spun around with an uppercut. Nearly got me too, but a near miss is still a miss. I was ready to see that she paid for it.
My form burst forward as soon as my feet touched the ground. A brief flash of reddish-purple light flaring as my palm struck home against my opponents ribs. I counted three broken, at least two more severely bruised. To my surprise she didnt fall down. I applaud her that show of valor with all due respect, but made such tidings quick, as I had a destiny to fulfill.
With not another moment spared, I launched my assault. Vicious palm thrusts, punches, and kicks flew like so many snow flakes in a blizzard upon my foe. In her condition, she was able to block some, but not many and definitely not enough. One by one, my attacks broke her defenses and left her on one knee. I approached her calmly with a stoic air about me. This was the last shot. And with a quiet voice, Sweet dreams, was the last thing she heard that day.
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict